A.I. XPRIZE: Can A Robot Deliver A TED Talk Worthy Of A Standing Ovation?

Imagine if Samantha from the movie “Her” could deliver a dynamic, engaging and totally human TED Talk. That’s what the nonprofit hopes will be a reality in the near future. TED wants to find out if an artificial intelligence can deliver a talk that wows the audience at a future conference.

During the TEDActive 2014 conference on March 20, Chris Anderson, curator of TED, and Peter Diamandis, founder of the XPRIZE, announced the formation of theA.I. XPRIZE where the winner will receive a lucrative award for delivering a talk that receives a standing ovation.

Presented by TED, the A.I. XPRIZE has no set rules or time frame for a winner to claim the prize. The open-ended challenge is a way for developers to create artificial intelligence (AI) programs that could one day pass for a human. Diamandis said in astatement, “This global competition could help spur its development across a myriad of areas – including biological research, exploration, education, health care, and fields we have not yet even imagined.”